If you happen to shop at Centsible Furnishings on a Monday, you may run into Bette.

I met Bette this past Monday, and I learned she is a regular shopper. Bette is a member of Live Oaks Community Church, a Love In the Name of Christ Partner Church. She works all year to put together boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the ministry that sends shoeboxes full of material items and Gospel resources to under-resourced countries. Last year, she mailed 839 boxes.

This endeavor is not without cost, and Bette lives on a budget. In order to make this work, she comes in each Monday with a budget around $20, give or take. She purchases any items that are currently in the store that will work for the shoeboxes. Bette has built relationships with some of the volunteers, and they have learned of her mission. This has resulted in these volunteers setting aside certain items such as pens or water bottles with branding that will not be put into the store for sale.

Bette knows of the relationship between Live Oaks Community Church and Love INC, and loves that by shopping for her items here, she is nurturing the potential of transformation in the community. She expressed, “Why not get it here, rather than out in the retail world? My goal is for God to use my life.”

Only God knows how many threads of connection like this there are in and through our community, and when we find one it feels like finding a treasure! Your investment in Love INC is further reaching than can ever be known. Whether you shop, donate, volunteer, or pray, you are doing so many meaningful things.